Η Οργάνωση International Hellenic Association συγκέντρωσε διαδικτυακά πάνω από 1000 υπογραφές Ελλήνων προσωπικοτήτων από την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό, οι οποίοι καταγγέλλουν την Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών...

INTERNATIONAL HELLENIC ASSOCIATION
Claymont, Delaware 19703
U.S.A
www.professors-PhDs.com.
IHAHellas@gmail.com

4 Δεκεμβρίου 2018

Η Οργάνωση International Hellenic Association συγκέντρωσε διαδικτυακά πάνω από 1000 υπογραφές Ελλήνων προσωπικοτήτων από την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό, οι οποίοι καταγγέλλουν την Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών με το παρακάτω κείμενο υπογραφών, ως απαράδεκτη και βλαπτική για την Ελλάδα.
Μέσα στα ονόματα περιλαμβάνονται πρέσβεις ε.τ., ακαδημαϊκοί, καθηγητές Πανεπιστημίων, στρατηγοί, εκπαιδευτικοί, νομικοί, ιατροί, μηχανικοί, επιχειρηματίες, δημοσιογράφοι, καλλιτέχνες και άνθρωποι της τοπικής αυτοδιοίκησης.

Η «Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών» της 17ης Ιουνίου 2018 παραδίδει το όνομα της Μακεδονίας στο κράτος των Σκοπίων (σαν «Βόρεια Μακεδονία») και αναγνωρίζει σε αυτό «Μακεδονική εθνότητα» και «Μακεδονική γλώσσα». Το όνομα «Μακεδονία» είναι το όχημα του ανυπόστατου και απαράδεκτου αλυτρωτισμού των Σκοπιανών, ενώ η εθνότητα και η γλώσσα αποτελούν σαφώς συνεπακόλουθα του ονόματος.

Σύμφωνα και με την απόφαση του Αρείου Πάγου (Απόφαση 1448 / 2009 (Δ, ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΕΣ) δεν υπάρχει Μακεδονική εθνότητα, ούτε Μακεδονική γλώσσα. Το όνομα Βόρεια Μακεδονία είναι απαράδεκτο, γιατί ευθέως υπονοεί μια Μακεδονία χωρισμένη σε βόρεια και νότια και θα τονώνει αενάως τον αλυτρωτισμό και τις εξ αυτού επεκτατικές βλέψεις των Σκοπίων.

Τα κόμματα που κυβερνούν δεν ανέφεραν στις προεκλογικές τους εξαγγελίες ότι θα επιδιώξουν συμφωνία με τα Σκόπια παραδίδοντας τα πάντα. Άρα δεν νομιμοποιείται η κυβέρνηση να προβαίνει σε σχετική συμφωνία και είναι απαράδεκτο το ότι επιδιώκει να κυρωθεί η «Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών» στη Βουλή των Ελλήνων με απλή πλειοψηφία των παρόντων, ως απλό νομοσχέδιο, ενώ θα έπρεπε έστω να ακολουθούνταν «κατ’ αναλογία» με το άρθρο 28,β του Συντάγματος η πλειοψηφία των 3/5, δηλαδή 180 βουλευτών. Θα έπρεπε για μια τόσο σοβαρή υπόθεση να ερωτηθεί και αποφανθεί ο κυρίαρχος ελληνικός λαός σε ένα δημοκρατικό Δημοψήφισμα, αν εγκρίνει με ένα ”ΝΑΙ” ή απορρίπτει με ένα ”ΟΧΙ” τη Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών».

Πρέπει να γνωρίζουν άπαντες εντός και εκτός Ελλάδας ότι υπογράφουν με την τυχόν κύρωση της συμφωνίας την αποσταθεροποίηση της περιοχής και την απάλειψη κάθε ειρηνικής συμβίωσης, καλής γειτονίας και αλληλεγγύης με όσους καλλιεργούν επεκτατικές βλέψεις εναντίον της εθνικής ανεξαρτησίας και εδαφικής ακεραιότητας της πατρίδα μας.

Ο ελληνικός λαός ποτέ δεν θα αποδεχτεί τετελεσμένα σε βάρος του.
ΑΙΤΗΜΑ ΓΙΑ ΔΗΜΟΨΗΦΙΣΜΑ



ΖΗΤΟΥΜΕ ΔΗΜΟΨΗΦΙΣΜΑ ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΕΓΚΡΙΣΗ Ή ΜΗ ΤΗΣ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΡΕΣΠΩΝ

Προς:
κ. Προκόπη Παυλόπουλο, Πρόεδρο της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας
κ. Αλέξη Τσίπρα, Πρωθυπουργό και υπουργό Εξωτερικών της Ελλάδας
κ. Πάνο Καμμένο, Υπουργό Αμύνης
Κοινοποίηση:
Αρχηγούς όλων των Πολιτικών Kομμάτων
Όλα τα μέλη της Βουλής των Ελλήνων και τους Έλληνες Ευρωβουλευτές

Οι κάτωθι υπογράφοντες, συντασσόμενοι με την συντριπτική πλειοψηφία του Ελληνικού λαού, διαφωνούμε με την Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών καθώς την θεωρούμε ανιστόρητη, επιζήμια για τα εθνικά συμφέροντα και επικίνδυνη για το μέλλον της χώρας και την σταθερότητα στην περιοχή.

Η εκχώρηση του ονόματος της Μακεδονίας μέσω του γεωγραφικού προσδιορισμού είναι ανιστόρητη, διότι η ιστορική Μακεδονία της αρχαιότητας αντιστοιχεί σχεδόν πλήρως στο σημερινό ελληνικό γεωγραφικό διαμέρισμα της Μακεδονίας, εκτός από μια στενή λωρίδα (Πελαγονία) στο νότιο τμήμα της σημερινής ΠΓΔΜ. Καμία διεθνής συνθήκη δεν όρισε τα όρια της Μακεδονίας ως γεωγραφική ενότητα. Η ελληνικότατη Πελαγονία (νοτιότερη περιοχή της ΠΓΔΜ) δεν ανήκε γεωγραφικά στη Μακεδονία αλλά ενσωματώθηκε όψιμα στο κράτος του Φιλίππου. Επί πλέον, ποτέ δεν υπήρξε Μακεδονική εθνότητα, και επομένως η αναγνώριση των κατοίκων της χώρας των Σκοπίων ως Μακεδόνων αποτελεί κατάφωρη παραχάραξη της ιστορίας.

Η συμφωνία είναι επιζήμια για τα εθνικά συμφέροντα, γιατί ο ανυπόστατος αλυτρωτισμός και οι επεκτατικές βλέψεις των γειτόνων μας που η εκχωρηθείσα από την συμφωνία των Πρεσπών ονομασία υποτίθεται ότι θα εξαλείψει, παραμένουν σε ισχύ στο ακέραιο και θα βρίσκουν στήριξη στο γεγονός ότι η ταυτότητα και η γλώσσα θα ονομάζονται «μακεδονικές». Ούτε και οι υποτιθέμενες αλλαγές του Συντάγματος των Σκοπίων είναι δυνατόν να πείσουν, όταν ο πρωθυπουργός της χώρας τους περιοδεύει πλέον καυχώμενος για την αναγνώριση του «Μακεδονισμού» που πέτυχε στις διαπραγματεύσεις. Μετά την συμφωνία των Πρεσπών και η κυβέρνηση των Σκοπίων και άλλοι διεθνείς οργανισμοί αποκαλούν πλέον την ΠΓΔΜ απλά Μακεδονία. Ο ισχυρισμός του κ. Κοτζιά ότι αυτό θα αλλάξει μόλις επικυρωθεί η συμφωνία, ακυρώνεται στην πράξη και δεν συνάδει με τον πολιτικό ρεαλισμό που θα πρέπει να διαπνέει όσους διαπραγματεύονται το επίμαχο ζήτημα του ονόματος.

Η συμφωνία είναι επιζήμια για το μέλλον της χώρας μας, όχι διότι κινδυνεύουμε από μία ενδεχόμενη επίθεση εκ μέρους του ίδιου του κράτους των Σκοπίων, το οποίο δεν έχει το εκτόπισμα να απειλήσει από μόνο του ουσιαστικά την χώρα μας. Οι επιδιώξεις όμως των Σκοπίων που στηριζόμενες σε ανυπόστατους «αλυτρωτισμούς» απειλούν την εδαφική ακεραιότητα της Ελλάδας, θα είναι εσαεί εργαλείο στα χέρια κάποιων δυνάμεων για να κρατούν υπό ομηρία την Ελλάδα και αντίπαλο δέος κατά την προσπάθεια ανεξάρτητης εξωτερικής πολιτικής της χώρας μας.

Τέλος, η συμφωνία είναι ετεροβαρής (δίνουμε το όνομα για να πάρουμε τι; ούτε μια στοιχειώδης πρόνοια δεν υπήρξε για τον χειμαζόμενο ελληνισμό της Πελαγονίας από την ελληνική διαπραγματευτική ομάδα), και με αυτήν διαιωνίζονται οι συνθήκες για τις γλωσσολογικά, γεωγραφικά, ιστορικά, λαογραφικά κι εθνολογικά αυθαίρετες και ατεκμηρίωτες διεκδικήσεις των Σκοπιανών. Η συμφωνία των Πρεσπών διατηρεί τις προϋποθέσεις για πιθανές παρεμβάσεις τρίτων, που σήμερα κιόλας εποφθαλμιούν την εδαφική ακεραιότητα της πατρίδας μας, δημιουργούν τις συνθήκες για μόνιμη αστάθεια στην περιοχή και θα δηλητηριάζουν στο διηνεκές τις σχέσεις καλής γειτονίας με το άμεσο περιβάλλον μας.

Ως εκ τούτου, εμείς οι υπογράφοντες την επιστολή αυτή Έλληνες πολίτες, μέλη της Ακαδημαϊκής κοινότητας στην Ελλάδα και την Διασπορά, Δημοτικές και Κοινοτικές αρχές ανά την Ελλάδα, Διπλωμάτες, Ιεράρχες, Επιστήμονες (Δικηγόροι, Γιατροί, Μηχανικοί και πολλοί άλλοι) καθώς και άλλες προσωπικότητες, συναισθανόμενοι την κρισιμότητα των στιγμών, δηλώνουμε ότι διαφωνούμε με την εκχώρηση του ονόματος της Μακεδονίας στα Σκόπια και καλούμε την κυβέρνηση να διενεργήσει δημοψήφισμα, προκειμένου να απορριφθεί ή να εγκριθεί η συμφωνία των Πρεσπών. Το δημοψήφισμα είναι μια απόλυτα δημοκρατική διαδικασία. Αντίθετα, δεν είναι δημοκρατικό να αποφασίζει η Βουλή των Ελλήνων, με μια κυβέρνηση που είναι ουσιαστικά μειοψηφική στον ελληνικό λαό, δεδομένου ότι το ένα κόμμα που μετέχει στην κυβέρνηση δηλώνει την αντίθεσή του στη συμφωνία των Πρεσπών. Το δημοψήφισμα αυτό οφείλει να έχει δεσμευτικό χαρακτήρα, ανεξαρτήτως του αποτελέσματος.

1.Το International Hellenic Association–IHA www.professors–PhDs.com είναι ένας μη κερδοσκοπικός, μη κομματικός φορέας με έδρα το Delaware των ΗΠΑ. Τα μέλη του ΙΗΑ προέρχονται κυρίως από την πανεπιστημιακή κοινότητα, και είναι διάσπαρτα ανά την Ελλάδα και τον κόσμο. Εκτός των πανεπιστημιακών, μέλη του ΙΗΑ είναι πρώην πρέσβεις, στρατηγοί, καθώς και εξέχουσες προσωπικότητες της ελληνικής κοινωνίας. Ο σκοπός του ΙΗΑ είναι να ενώσει ηλεκτρονικά τον Ελληνισμό και να βοηθήσει την Ελλάδα μέσω επιτροπών για εθνικά και πολιτιστικά θέματα.

Οι υπογράφοντες:
1
Αγγελίδης Οδυσσέας, Στρόβολος, DIC, C.Eng, MIET, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ
2
Tερζίδου Άννα Κλαίρη, Βιβλιοθηκονόμος, Γλυφάδα, Αθήνα, ΕΛΛΑΣ
3
Αγγελούδης Δημήτριος, Αντιστράτηγος ε.α.,Επίτημος Διοικητής 1ης ΣΤΡΑΤΙΑΣ, Αθήνα, ΕΛΛΑΣ

"NEA ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" ενημέρωση

Αθήνα, 6 Δεκεμβρίου 2018 Η βουλευτής Α’ Αθηνών, κ.  Ντόρα Μπακογιάννη, για την άρση της ασυλίας του κ. Καμμένου, έκανε την ακόλουθη δήλωση «Για άλλη μια φορά ο κ. Καμμένος αποδεικνύεται τζάμπα μάγκας. Ο υπουργός που έχτισε την καριέρα του εξαπολύοντας χυδαιότητες και συκοφαντίες εναντίον πολιτικών αντιπάλων, προσπαθεί εκ νέου να κρυφτεί πίσω από την ασυλία του».    Πλήρης Δήλωση «Για άλλη μια φορά ο κ. Καμμένος αποδεικνύεται τζάμπα μάγκας. Ο υπουργός που έχτισε την καριέρα του εξαπολύοντας χυδαιότητες και συκοφαντίες εναντίον πολιτικών αντιπάλων, κρύβεται για άλλη μία φορά πίσω από την ασυλία του Προσέφυγα στη Δικαιοσύνη καταθέτοντας αγωγή και μήνυση εναντίον του για το χυδαίο και συκοφαντικό tweet που ανέβασε κατά την επίσκεψή μου στην Τουρκία. Τώρα που η Δικαιοσύνη έστειλε την υπόθεση στη Βουλή, ο κ. Καμμένος, ο οποίος λίγες ημέρες πριν κατακεραύνωνε την αντιπολίτευση για το άρθρο 86 περί ευθύνης υπουργών, για πολλοστή φορά ως γνήσιος δειλός, ζητάει τη στήριξη και την κάλυψη των βουλευτών του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ και κρυπτόμενος  πίσω από την ασυλία του, αρνείται να αντιμετωπίσει την ελληνική Δικαιοσύνη. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι δεν μου προξενεί εντύπωση η στάση του κ. Καμμένου. Άλλωστε οι συκοφαντικοί ισχυρισμοί του καταρρίπτονται ο ένας μετά τον άλλον στα δικαστήρια. Η ευθύνη περνάει πλέον στους βουλευτές του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ και έτσι θα αντιληφθούμε όλοι αν πιστεύουν έστω και λίγο αυτά που λένε για την κάθαρση και το τέλος του ακαταδίωκτου και του ανέλεγκτου των πολιτικών προσώπων. Το σύνολο των βουλευτών του ελληνικού κοινοβουλίου κατά τη διάρκεια της συζήτησης για την αναθεώρηση του Συντάγματος τάχθηκε υπέρ της κατάργησης του νόμου περί ευθύνης υπουργών και του νόμου περί βουλευτικής ασυλίας.  Όμως, όπως φαίνεται, η υποκρισία δεν έχει τέλος. Προσωπικά, δεν έχω κρυφτεί ποτέ πίσω από την ασυλία μου. Αντίθετα, όταν ετέθη θέμα, ζήτησα από τη βουλή να μου άρει την ασυλία. Η συμπεριφορά του κ. Καμμένου χαρακτηρίζεται από δειλία, υποκρισία, φαρισαϊσμό και ψευτομαγκιά.  Οι βουλευτές του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ θα συναινέσουν σε τέτοιες συμπεριφορές  που οδηγούν στον εκφυλισμό του δημοκρατικού μας πολιτεύματος; Υ.Γ  Με επιστολή μου προς την αρμόδια επιτροπή, την οποία απέστειλα σήμερα, ζητώ να παραστώ στη συνεδρίασή της προκειμένου να υποστηρίξω δια ζώσης το δικαίωμα μου να μου επιτραπεί να υπερασπιστώ την τιμή και την υπόληψή μου ενώπιον των ανεξάρτητων ελληνικών δικαστηρίων από συκοφαντικές και βάναυσα υβριστικές δηλώσεις. Ελπίζω να μην μου στερηθεί το δικαίωμα αυτό». Αθήνα, 4 Δεκεμβρίου 2018   Ο Τομεάρχης Μεταναστευτικής Πολιτικής της Νέας Δημοκρατίας, βουλευτής Β΄ Αθηνών, κ. Μιλτιάδης Βαρβιτσιώτης, συναντήθηκε σήμερα με τον Δήμαρχο Σάμου, Μιχάλη Αγγελόπουλο, και πολυάριθμη αντιπροσωπία από φορείς της περιοχής, οι οποίοι και εκδήλωσαν την έντονη ανησυχία τους για την κατάσταση που επικρατεί στο νησί τους, στο ζήτημα του προσφυγικού. Μετά το πέρας της συνάντησης, έκανε την ακόλουθη δήλωση: «Η Σάμος σήμερα υποφέρει. Υποφέρει από την κυβερνητική ανεπάρκεια στη διαχείριση του προσφυγικού.  Υποφέρει, επειδή περισσότεροι από 3.900 πρόσφυγες και παράνομοι μετανάστες διαμένουν σήμερα σε υποδομές χωρητικότητας 650 θέσεων και άλλοι περίπου 2.000 στοιβάζονται άναρχα σε αυτοσχέδιους χώρους διαμονής, πέριξ του κέντρου Υποδοχής και Ταυτοποίησης. Υποφέρει, επειδή την ίδια ώρα η κυβέρνηση συνεχίζει να κωφεύει στις κραυγές αγωνίας των τοπικών φορέων της που αντικρίζουν καθημερινά το νησί τους να μετατρέπεται σε υγειονομική βόμβα. Στο Βαθύ της Σάμου αντικατοπτρίζεται σήμερα η πλήρης  ανικανότητα της κυβέρνησης. Είναι, πλέον, σαφές πως για τον αρμόδιο Υπουργό δεν υπάρχει ούτε χρόνος, ούτε δικαιολογίες. Η αποσυμφόρηση του Βόρειου-Ανατολικού Αιγαίου από τους παράνομους μετανάστες θα έρθει μαζί με την αποχώρηση του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ από την εξουσία».

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The agency will provide support at the request of the member state concerned or on its own initiative and in agreement with the member state concerned. The support will cover all areas of return, from preparatory activities to return, post-return and post-arrival activities. It also includes assisted voluntary return. The agency will also be able to assist member states in the identification of third country nationals and the acquisition of travel documents. Cooperation with third countries The proposed rules will contribute to strengthening cooperation with third countries, by giving the agency wider scope for action and not limiting its possibilities for cooperation to neighbouring countries. 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These banks are either the largest in their home country, have more than €30 billion in total assets or have substantial cross-border operations. Other, less significant banks remain under the supervision of national banking authorities. As a supervisor, the ECB has the authority to carry out inspections to check banks' compliance with EU rules, demand banks set aside additional capital to mitigate risks and can even withdraw banking licences. The ECB's proposal for Mr Enria's appointment was approved by the European Parliament on 29 November. Council of the European Union     6/12/2018 EU continues developing European e-justice The EU is committed to further improving access to justice across the EU by continuing to develop European e-Justice. The Council today adopted the strategy and action plan on the development of e-Justice for the period 2019-2023. E-Justice is a policy through which access to justice is simplified and improved while cross-border legal procedures are digitalised. e-Justice is not limited to one particular field of law, and is aimed at citizens, companies, legal practitioners and judicial authorities. During the period 2019-2023, the work on e-justice will be focused on 3 key objectives: Improve access to information in the area of justice Continue the digitalisation of judicial and extrajudicial proceedings to offer easier and faster access to the courts Ensure the technical implementation and management of the national e-justice systems to facilitate interconnection and interoperability between member states' systems e-Justice portal The e-Justice portal is the main tool which has been developed to improve access to information in the area of justice. It contains information pages, search tools and dynamic forms in an effort to improve and facilitate user experience. The portal will be further developed and expanded during the next action plan. E-justice portal E-justice strategy 2019-2023 Council of the European Union     6/12/2018  Fight against antisemitism: Council declaration The Council today approved a declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe. In its declaration, the Council acknowledges that Jewish communities in some EU countries feel particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks, following an increase in violent incidents in recent years. It notes that anti-Semitic hatred remains widespread, as confirmed by the 2018 Fundamental Rights Agency report on antisemitism. The declaration invites member states to adopt and implement a holistic strategy to prevent and fight all forms of antisemitism, as part of their strategies on preventing racism, xenophobia, radicalisation and violent extremism. It calls on member states to increase their efforts to ensure security for Jewish communities, institutions and citizens. Council declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe Council of the European Union     6/12/2018 | PRESS RELEASE Terrorist content online: Council adopts negotiating position on new rules to prevent dissemination The EU is working to stop terrorists from using the internet to radicalise, recruit and incite to violence. The Council today agreed its negotiating position on the proposed regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online. "Online terrorist content has played a key role in almost every terrorist attack we have seen in Europe. It is our obligation to protect our citizens as effectively as possible. With this agreement we want to send a strong signal to internet companies about the urgency of addressing this issue." Herbert Kickl, Minister of the Interior of Austria The proposed rules apply to hosting service providers offering services in the EU, whether or not they have their main establishment in the member states. These providers will have to remove terrorist content or disable access to it within one hour from receiving a removal order from authorities. If a hosting service provider fails to comply with removal orders, they may be liable to a penalty of up to a maximum of 4% of their global turnover for the previous year. Under the new rules competent authorities can continue sending referrals to hosting service providers, which are assessed as a matter of priority. In the case of referrals it is up to the service provider to assess whether the content is against its own terms and conditions and should be removed. Furthermore, service providers will have to apply certain duties of care to prevent the dissemination of terrorist content on their services, which may vary depending on the risk and level of exposure of the service to terrorist content. They will also have to take proactive measures to address the reappearance of content which has previously been removed. Cooperation between law enforcement authorities and service providers will be improved through the establishment of points of contact to facilitate the handling of removal orders and referrals. It will be up to member states to lay down the rules on penalties in case of non-compliance with the legislation. The proposed rules also ensure that the rights of ordinary users and businesses will be respected, including freedom of expression and information and freedom to conduct a business. This includes the requirement for hosting service providers to establish effective mechanisms allowing users whose content has been removed to submit a complaint. Next steps On the basis of this mandate, the Council Presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament once the latter has adopted its position.  Background This proposal was submitted by the European Commission on 12 September 2018, following a call by EU leaders in June. The proposal builds on the work of the EU Internet Forum, launched in December 2015 as a framework of voluntary cooperation between member states and representatives of major internet companies to detect and address online terrorist content. Cooperation through this forum has improved, however it has not been sufficient to tackle the problem. Proposal for a regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online - general approach Response to the terrorist threat and recent terrorist attacks in Europe (background information)

AHEPA Statement on the Passing of President George H.W. Bush

AMERICAN HELLENIC EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION

Saturday, December 1, 2018   Statement on the Passing of  President George H.W. Bush WASHINGTON, DC - Supreme President George E. Loucas has issued a statement on the passing of President George H.W. Bush, a recipient of the AHEPA Socrates Award: "Ahepans mourn the passing of President George H.W. Bush. "President Bush exemplified a lifetime of service to America as a World War Two combat pilot and during his tenure in public service.  However, AHEPA will always remember him for making the call to public and community service a centerpiece of his life.  In his 1988 acceptance speech for the Presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, then-Vice President Bush cited the Order of AHEPA as one of the ˜Thousand Points of Light' that brighten and diversify America through a ˜Nation of Community.'  We are thankful for his lasting commitment to service, the spirit of volunteerism and building stronger communities. "Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with the entire Bush family.  May his memory be eternal." In 1991, AHEPA presented President Bush with the AHEPA Socrates Award in the Oval Office. # # #     Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, on the principles that undergirded its fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe.     AHEPA's mission is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence through community service and volunteerism.    For more information, please visit www.ahepa.org.

EU latest

PRESS

European Council 1/12/2018  G20 Leaders' Declaration: Building consensus for fair and sustainable development At their meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 30 November and 1 December 2018, G20 leaders adopted a declaration focusing on the future of work, infrastructure for development, a sustainable food future and a gender mainstreaming strategy across the G20 agenda. G20 Leaders' declaration, Buenos Aires Council of the European Union 4/12/2018 VAT: Council adopts short-term fixes to current EU system The Council adopted three short legislative acts aimed at adjusting some of the EU's VAT rules in order to fix four specific issues pending the introduction of a new VAT system. These relate to: call-off stock. The text provides for a simplified and uniform treatment for call-off stock arrangements, where a vendor transfers stock to a warehouse at the disposal of a known acquirer in another member state; the VAT identification number. To benefit from a VAT exemption for the intra-EU supply of goods, the identification number of the customer will become an additional condition; chain transactions. To enhance legal certainty in determining the VAT treatment of chain transactions, the texts establish uniform criteria; proof of intra-EU supply. A common framework is established for the documentary evidence required to claim a VAT exemption for intra-EU supplies. These adjustments are due to apply from 1 January 2020. In parallel, discussions are ongoing on a definitive VAT system to replace the current 'transitional' VAT arrangements, applied since 1993. Pending introduction of the new system, four short-term 'quick fixes' are proposed. Council of the European Union 4/12/2018  Money laundering: Council adopts conclusions on an action plan for enhanced monitoring The Council adopted conclusions on an action plan to better tackle money laundering and terrorist financing. The conclusions set out a number of short-term non-legislative actions to address 8 key objectives:   identify the factors that contributed to the recent money laundering cases in EU banks, to better inform possible additional actions in the medium and long term; map relevant money laundering and terrorist financing risks and the best prudential supervisory practices to address them; enhance supervisory convergence and better take into account AML aspects in the prudential supervisory process; ensure effective cooperation between prudential and money laundering supervisors; clarify aspects related to the withdrawal of a bank's authorisation in case of serious breaches; improve supervision and exchange of information between relevant authorities; share best practices and find grounds for convergence among national authorities; improve the European supervisory authorities' capacity to make better use of existing powers and tools. The European rules on anti money laundering and terrorist financing have been considerably strengthened in the past years, with two consecutive reforms being adopted since 2015. The latest revision of the AML directive, the fifth AMLD, was adopted in April 2018 and is due to be transposed at national level by January 2020. In September 2018, the Commission also presented a proposal to further strengthen the supervision of EU financial institutions and to better address money laundering and terrorist financing threats. This proposal is currently under discussion in the Council.

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Week 48

Norway assumes presidency of the Mine Ban Treaty Pressemelding | 30.11.2018 On 30 November, Norway takes over the presidency of the Mine Ban Treaty. ‘During our presidency, we will highlight the huge risk to civilians posed by anti-personnel mines and explosives in many countries, and the major social and economic consequences this has,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide. News alert about: Foreign affairs

Review of the consequences for Norway of ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Rapport | 28.11.2018 On 8 February 2018, the Storting (Norwegian parliament) requested the Government to review the consequences for Norway of ratifying the recently adopted Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. News alert about: Foreign affairs

Changes to Norway’s aid budget Pressemelding | 23.11.2018 According to new figures, ODA-approved refugee expenses in Norway have dropped by NOK 200 million this year. This will make it possible to increase allocations to various priority areas in the 2018 aid budget. News alert about: Foreign affairs and The economy

INTERNATIONAL HELLENIC ASSOCIATION Claymont, Delaware 19703 U.S.A:δελτίον τύπου

December 3, 2018 Capt. E.N.Rigos


INTERNATIONAL HELLENIC ASSOCIATION
Claymont, Delaware 19703
U.S.A
www.professors-PhDs.com.
Mail: IHAHellas@gmail.com

3 Δεκεμβρίου 2018


Μετά από την φαινομενική αδράνεια που παρουσίασε η Ελληνική κοινωνία σαν συνέπεια των συνεχών απογοητεύσεων από το πολιτικό κατεστημένο της χώρας και των συνεπακόλουθων τραυματικών εμπειριών, επιτέλους, κάτι σημαντικό δείχνει να αναδύεται. Η μαζική παρουσία του κόσμου στα μεγαλειώδη συλλαλητήρια σε Θεσσαλονίκη και Αθήνα, και οι συνεχείς σημαντικές κινητοποιήσεις σε τοπικό επίπεδο ενάντια στην εθνικά απαράδεκτη Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών, κάτι που μέχρι πρόσφατα έμοιαζε απίθανο, απέδειξε με τον καλύτερο τρόπο, ότι ο ελληνικός λαός δεν θα μένει πια απαθής στη συνολική εκποίηση της πατρίδας του. Το καινούργιο που αναδύεται και είναι εμφανές, είναι η διάθεση για αντίσταση, που αν βρει ενιαία έκφραση συγκροτημένα και οργανωμένα, κανείς δεν θα καταφέρει να ακυρώσει.
Οι κινητοποιήσεις της μαθητικής νεολαίας που βιώνουμε σήμερα, είναι το επόμενο ποιοτικό άλμα στην διαδικασία της εθνικής αυτογνωσίας. Οι τρέχουσες κινητοποιήσεις όμως, φέρνουν αυτό τον χώρο που αποτελεί μαζί με τους φοιτητές το χρυσό μέλλον της χώρας μας, μαχητικά δίπλα στον υπόλοιπο εθνικό κορμό και τις διεκδικήσεις για την σωτηρία της κοινής μας πατρίδας.

Ο κίνδυνος της απόλυτης απομόνωσης και απαξίας του έγινε σαφώς αντιληπτός από το σύνολο του παρακμιακού κατεστημένου που είναι υπεύθυνο για την σημερινή κατάντια της Ελλάδας. Γι’ αυτό βλέπουμε μια εντονότατη αντίδραση με την μορφή κατατρομοκράτησης των μαθητών και των υποστηρικτών τους, προσπαθώντας να τους στιγματίσουν ως υποκινούμενους, ακραίους και εθνικιστές, κινητοποιώντας ακόμη και τις παρακρατικές εφεδρείες τους για άσκηση άμεσης βίας. Την απάντηση την έχουν μέχρι τώρα δώσει με τον πλέον ξεκάθαρο και ώριμο λόγο οι ίδιοι οι μαθητές.

Από την δική μας πλευρά, ο ΙΗΑ, έχοντας εκφράσει την απόλυτη αντίθεση του προς την Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών, σε εναρμόνιση με την πολιτική των Παμμακεδονικών Ενώσεων και σε συμπαράταξη με την συντριπτική πλειοψηφία του ελληνικού λαού, χαιρετίζει με θαυμασμό τον αγώνα των μαθητών για τα καλώς εννοούμενα εθνικά δίκαια, και ενώνει τις δυνάμεις του για το δίκτυ προστασίας που πρέπει να απλώσουν όλες οι δημοκρατικές πατριωτικές δυνάμεις προς την αγωνιζόμενη μαθητική νεολαία και όχι μόνο.
Η τρομοκρατία των πραγματικών τρομοκρατών όχι μόνο δεν θα περάσει, αλλά ο ελληνικός λαός θα φροντίσει να δώσει την πρέπουσα απάντηση σε αυτούς που την ασκούν.

1.Το International Hellenic Association–IHA www.professors–PhDs.com είναι ένας μη κερδοσκοπικός, μη κομματικός φορέας με έδρα το Delaware των ΗΠΑ. Τα μέλη του ΙΗΑ προέρχονται κυρίως από την πανεπιστημιακή κοινότητα, και είναι διάσπαρτα ανά την Ελλάδα και τον κόσμο. Εκτός των πανεπιστημιακών, μέλη του ΙΗΑ είναι πρώην πρέσβεις, στρατηγοί, καθώς και εξέχουσες προσωπικότητες της ελληνικής κοινωνίας. Ο σκοπός του ΙΗΑ είναι να ενώσει ηλεκτρονικά τον Ελληνισμό και να βοηθήσει την Ελλάδα μέσω επιτροπών για εθνικά και πολιτιστικά θέματα.



Πηγή International Hellenic Association

--

"Η ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ - ΔΕΝ ΠΩΛΕΙΤΑΙ - ΔΕΝ ΧΑΡΙΖΕΤΑΙ"
Capt. Evangelos N.M. Rigos
IHA Director www.professors-PhDs.com
HEC Life Director www.greece.org

Eurogroup, 03/12/2018

Eurogroup 4/12/2018 Main results - Eurogroup, 03/12/2018 The Eurogroup agreed on a report to leaders on EMU deepening. Ministers also discussed member states' draft budgetary plans and looked at recent post-programme surveillance of member states. Eurogroup, 03/12/2018 Highlights from the Eurogroup meeting held in Brussels on 3 December 2018 Main results The Eurogroup first met in regular format and afterwards came together for a Eurogroup meeting in inclusive format.  Regular format Assessment of member states' draft budget plans The Eurogroup discussed the overall budgetary situation and prospects in the euro area and conducted the review of the economic and fiscal situation of the member states concerned. This discussion was based on Commission opinions on the draft budgetary plans of the 19 euro area member states and on the Commission Communication on its overall assessment of the DBPs. The outcome of this discussion was reflected in the Eurogroup statement. It is the 6th time that this exercise is conducted and it is the first time that no country is expected this year to register an excessive deficit, meaning above 3% of GDP. Eurogroup President Mário Centeno Eurogroup Statement on the Draft Budgetary Plans for 2019 Draft budgetary plans for 2019 (European Commission website) Post-programme surveillance of member states Greece The European Commission presented to ministers the first enhanced surveillance report for Greece. The Commission adopted a decision on 11 July to activate the enhanced surveillance framework for Greece, which entered into force following the end of the ESM programme, in August 2018. The quarterly enhanced surveillance reports enable close monitoring of the economic, fiscal and financial situation and the post-programme policy commitments, as agreed by the June 2018 Eurogroup. Enhanced surveillance report for Greece, 22/11/2018 Cyprus The Eurogroup was debriefed by the European Commission and the ECB on the main findings of the fifth post-programme surveillance mission to Cyprus carried out between 24-28 September. The ESM also debriefed the Eurogroup on its early warning system. The IMF conducted an Article IV mission in parallel. Staff Statement Following the Fifth Post-Programme Surveillance Mission to Cyprus (European Commission) Spain The European Commission and the ECB presented the main findings of the tenth post-programme surveillance mission to Spain carried out on 4-5 October. The ESM also debriefed the Eurogroup on its early warning system. Post-programme surveillance (PPS) starts automatically after the end of financial assistance programmes and continues until at least 75% of the financial assistance received has been repaid. PPS is biannual in terms of reporting and missions. Staff statement following the tenth post-programme mission to Spain (European Commission) Financial assistance to Eurozone member states IMF Article IV interim mission to the euro area The IMF presented its main findings from its euro area Article IV interim mission.  The IMF conducts an annual consultation on euro area policies with an interim mission usually around the end of the year and a final mission in late spring. Findings are customarily discussed with the Eurogroup. Draft Eurogroup work programme for the first semester of 2019 The Eurogroup also adopted its work programme for the first half of 2019. Eurogroup Work Programme - 1/2019 Inclusive format Deepening EMU – Preparation of the December Euro Summit The Eurogroup in inclusive format prepared the Euro Summit that will take place on 14 December. The Euro Summit is expected to take concrete decisions and provide guidance on the way forward on EMU deepening. Ministers agreed on a report to leaders on EMU deepening, including draft terms of reference of the common backstop to the SRB, a term sheet on the ESM reform and a way forward on the banking union and possible instruments for competitiveness, convergence and stabilisation EMU. After several months of intense negotiations and a very tough and long meeting we delivered a comprehensive plan to strengthen the euro. A plan that is agreed by all of us. Eurogroup President Mário Centeno Eurogroup report to Leaders on EMU deepening, 4/12/2018 Euro Summit, 29/6/2018 Meeting information Brussels   03/12/2018 Preparatory documents Draft annotated Eurogroup agenda - 3 December 2018 Draft annotated Eurogroup agenda in inclusive format - 3 December 2018 Joint proposal by France and Germany on the architecture of a eurozone budget Press releases Eurogroup report to Leaders on EMU deepening 04/12/2018, 10:03 Remarks by M. Centeno following the Eurogroup meeting of 3 December 2018 04/12/2018, 09:42 Eurogroup Statement on the Draft Budgetary Plans for 2019 04/12/2018, 03:10 Eurogroup 4/12/2018  Remarks by M. Centeno following the Eurogroup meeting of 3 December 2018 Good morning. We made it. After several months of intense negotiations and a very tough and long meeting we delivered a comprehensive plan to strengthen the euro. A plan that is agreed by all of us. I will come to that in a second. Let me run you through the rest of the Eurogroup agenda, which was already packed. We started our meeting with an overview of the euro area economy. The IMF presented their initial views based on the so-called article IV mission. Given the current risks to our economic outlook, the IMF’s view that building buffers is needed at the current juncture is broadly shared. We then moved on to Greece. It has been a while since we discussed Greece and that is a good thing. The Commission presented the first enhanced surveillance report – the Eurogroup will be following these reports on a quarterly basis. This first report shows some good results. Ministers welcomed that the primary surplus target of 3.5% of GDP is projected to be met in 2019. It’s the third year in a row this happens. This shows that the Greek authorities are committed to a sound fiscal path. At the same time, further progress is clearly needed in some areas. This includes privatisation, arrears clearance, insolvency legislation and product market reforms. We all agree that it is paramount to continue the good work initiated in recent years by implementing the reform agenda. That is the sustainable path towards increasing Greece’s growth potential. We then discussed Spain and Cyprus on the basis of post-programme surveillance. Both economies are performing well. We particularly welcomed the strengthening of the Spanish financial sector. We praised the fiscal performance of Cyprus and emphasised the need to reinforce the NPL reduction strategy and overall reform momentum. A highlight was our discussion on draft budgetary plans of our euro area member states, following the 19 opinions provided by the Commission. There is a more detailed statement on this precise issue. I need to remark that it is the 6th time that this exercise is conducted and it is the first time ever that no country is expected this year to register an excessive deficit, meaning above 3% of GDP. The case of Italy deserved special attention, since the Commission identified a particularly serious non-compliance in the Italian budget plan. We support the assessment by the Commission and recommend that Italy takes the necessary measures to be compliant with the Stability and Growth Pact. Sound public finances are a condition for sustainable growth. Respecting the rules that underpin our currency is essential to ensure consistency and stability in the euro area. Going forward, we welcome and we support the ongoing dialogue between Italy and the Commission in pursuit of common ground. We also adopted a work programme for the first half of 2019. And we had a sneak preview of the Commission’s plans to reinforce the international role of the euro. The Commission will issue a Communication on this, which we will study carefully - we will come back to this next year. Advancing on our plans to reform the euro area is a good contribution to enhance the international role of our single currency. So now, on EMU reform, this was really the biggest topic on our agenda. Our plans for the future of the euro area. Our aim was to agree on a report to deliver to the Euro Summit next week. Very hard negotiation, but I think the result is a breakthrough on some key issues. The outcome of our deliberations is a report to the Leaders with 3 annexes: the terms of reference of the backstop the term sheet on ESM reform the ESM-Commission cooperation agreement. My team is still consolidating the texts agreed, after this very intense and exhaustive negotiation. This will be delivered to you shortly. I will then deliver this outcome in person to President Tusk this afternoon. We have agreed to enhance the role of the ESM to further strengthen the crisis prevention and resolution capabilities of the euro area. We will also increase the effectiveness of ESM precautionary instruments. At the same time, we reaffirmed that ESM support is a last resort and that we need to ensure an appropriate level of conditionality. Ministers very much welcome the agreement reached between the ESM and the Commission, which will improve cooperation within and outside financial assistance programmes. Our agreement on the backstop to the Single Resolution Fund is an important step to further strengthen the credibility of the Banking Union. The backstop will be introduced earlier than the originally foreseen date of 2024, provided that sufficient progress with risk reduction is achieved by 2020. Ministers also agreed on a process to promote debt sustainability in the euro area. To this end, we will introduce single-limb collective action clauses, known as CACs, by 2022. This is not the end of the road in our plans to reinforce the euro. We will build on progress made to continue to work next year. As regards the instruments for competitiveness and convergence, France and Germany proposed an architecture for the Eurozone budget, which would be part of the EU budget. Subject to a mandate to be given by the Euro Summit, work could proceed on the design, implementation and timing of such an instrument for convergence and competitiveness. The possible features of a stabilization function were also discussed, including the unemployment insurance scheme. We did not reach a common view on the need and design of such a function but technical discussions continue. More work is also needed on EDIS before we can agree on a roadmap to begin political negotiations. The news here is that we will establish a high-level working group with a mandate to work on next steps and report back in June 2019. We will continue working on all possible solutions to the limitations in the current set-up for liquidity provision in bank resolution. Finally, the preparation of an ESM Treaty change is another future undertaking. To conclude, this was a good moment to mark in the Eurogroup the 20th anniversary of the start of the euro. We demonstrated - yet again - our political commitment to the single currency by building bridges between our national positions and taking steps to collectively keep our economies out of trouble. Eurogroup     4/12/2018 Eurogroup Statement on the Draft Budgetary Plans for 2019 The Eurogroup welcomes that all 19 Member States have submitted Draft Budgetary Plans (DBPs) for 2019. Greece is part of this exercise for the first time, following the end of the macro-economic adjustment programme. On 21 November, the Commission provided in-depth individual assessments and Opinions, together with an analysis of the budgetary situation in the euro area as a whole. We note that Luxembourg, Latvia and Slovenia submitted DBPs on a no-policy-change basis. We invite them to submit the updates of their DBPs as soon as possible and look forward to the Commission assessment of those updates. The euro area is entering its sixth year of growth, although growth has peaked and downside risks have increased. The strength of the domestic drivers is supportive of the continued activity growth and unemployment reduction. According to the Commission autumn forecast, the aggregate deficit in the euro area is expected to further decline from 1% in 2017 to 0.6% of GDP in 2018, although an increase to 0.8% of GDP is forecast in 2019. For the first time since the introduction of the euro, in 2019 no euro area Member State is expected to have a deficit above 3% of GDP. Aggregate debt in the euro area is set to be on a downward path, from 89% of GDP in 2017 to 87% of GDP in 2018 and 85% of GDP in 2019. Current economic conditions call for the urgent need to rebuild fiscal buffers, notably in Member States that have not reached their Medium-Term Budgetary Objectives (MTO). The Eurogroup reiterates that a slow pace of debt reduction from high levels in a number of Member States remains a matter for concern and should be decisively addressed. In this context, the fiscal expansion or limited structural fiscal adjustment expected in some Member States in 2019 is worrying, in particular when coupled with high medium term sustainability risks. The Eurogroup recalls in this context that the focus on sufficient debt reduction and the adjustment towards the MTO are an integral part of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The Eurogroup also recalls that country-specific recommendations adopted by the Council on 13 July 2018 include detailed and quantified fiscal policy guidance, taking into account the need to strengthen the growth potential and sustainability concerns. The Eurogroup underlines that Member States are in very different budgetary situations. The Eurogroup recalls that in its opinion issued on 23 October 2018 the Commission identified a particularly serious non-compliance with the recommendation addressed to Italy by the Council on 13 July 2018 and requested a revised DBP. Italy submitted a revised DBP on 13 November, on which the Commission issued another opinion on 21 November, confirming the existence of a particularly serious non-compliance with the Council recommendation. We support the Commission assessment and recommend Italy to take the necessary measures to be compliant with the SGP. We also support the ongoing dialogue between the Commission and the Italian authorities. The Eurogroup takes note that, according to the Commission assessment, five Member States' plans are deemed to be at risk of non- compliance with the SGP in 2019: Belgium, France, Portugal, Slovenia, under the preventive arm of the SGP and Spain, assessed under the assumption of a timely and durable correction of the excessive deficit. According to the Commission assessment, the DBPs of these Member States might result in a significant deviation from the adjustment path towards their respective MTOs. In addition, Belgium, France, Portugal and Spain are not expected to comply prima facie with the debt reduction benchmark in 2019. The Eurogroup invites all these Member States to consider in a timely manner the necessary additional measures to address the risks identified by the Commission and to ensure that their 2019 budget will be compliant with SGP provisions. Based on the Commission assessment, three Member States’ plans are deemed to be broadly compliant with the SGP in 2019: Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia, all under the preventive arm of the SGP. The Eurogroup invites these Member States to ensure compliance with SGP provisions within the national budgetary processes and welcomes their commitment to take any necessary measures. The Eurogroup welcomes that ten Member States' plans are deemed to be compliantwith the SGP in 2019: Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta and Netherlands, all under the preventive arm of the SGP. The Eurogroup also welcomes that some of the Member States that have outperformed their medium term objectives have plans to partly use their favourable budgetary situation in 2019 to boost investment and growth, while preserving the long-term sustainability of public finances. We will continue to monitor euro area Member States' fiscal and economic policies, as well as the budgetary situation of the euro area as a whole.